National Treasure: The Tiger's Gold
by Jaeh
Summary: Next stop: Philippines. Ben, Abby and Riley are called on another treasure hunt, this time for the Yamashita Gold. But why them? They're no experts in WWII! But it's still an adventure- and I want to know what happens! Trailer is up- chapters coming soon!
1. Trailer

_Music plays._

_Female Voice: __**Always be careful of the past, Ben Gates.**_

_Shows young Ben flipping a chest open, then flashes to older Ben looking inside the same chest- finding a Japanese soldier's uniform and a Japanese type 26 pistol._

_Female Voice: __**It keeps no secrets.**_

_Walt Disney logo appears, followed by Jerry Brukheimer's._

**Ben: **I don't see how I could help you. I'm not an expert on World War II.

_Shows a brown-skinned, black-haired woman standing up, and handing Ben a card. Flashes suddenly to the hand and the card extended._

**Woman: **Your grandfather's cousin. He might have collaborated with the Japanese, _Ben_. Just think, wouldn't that be treason, betrayal of his own country?

_Ben, Abby, Riley, Patrick and Emily conduct a meeting in Patrick's living room._

**Riley:**_ (incredulous)_Wait a second… Ben, are you telling me, that we are going to the Philippines?

**Abby: **_(turning to face Ben)_Ben, how could you help? You don't know much about this.

**Ben: **I have to set things right.

_Scene of Abby, Riley and Ben all run in different directions in a crowd of Filipino people. _

**Abby**: _(looking around, and realizing she lost Ben and Riley, and noticing a couple of men running towards her with guns) _Ben. What did you get us into now?

_Riley typing in his computer quickly, sitting in a Starbucks coffee shop._

**Riley: **_(muttering to himself) _Why can't they just provide a map and x-marks-the-spot?

_Someone puts a hand on Riley's shoulder, and Riley looks up._

_Flashes to scene where Ben picks up his phone._

**Riley:**_(through the phone, frantic) _Ben!? Ben I- _(line is cut suddenly)_

**Ben: **_(screaming into the phone) _Riley? Riley! _(he hangs up to dial another number when the phone rings, he answers)_

**Male voice**: You are going to find it for us. Find the gold, Ben Gates. Find it.

_Shot aimed straight at the sun, and pans down to a shot of Ben, Riley and Abby standing in front of a cliff wall._

**Riley: **Is this it?

**Ben: **Let's find out.

_Flashes to a scene of the forest, with Abby shouting at Ben, holding her arm._

**Abby: **This is all wrong Ben, and you know it!

**Ben: **I'm doing the best I can!

_Shows Riley, Ben and Abby staring down into the barrel of a sub-machine gun. _

**Riley:** Dude! (_backing away slowly_) That thing's huge!

**Male voice**: Shut up, and keep moving.

_A flash of Abby and Ben arguing._

**Abby: **The treasure isn't worth this, Ben! Don't do this. _(tears, mud and grime streaked face of Abby closed up, voice pleading)_

**Ben: **_(Abby's face in Ben's hands, and they stare into each other's eyes)_I have to set things right, Abby. I'm sorry.

_Scene fades out into darkness. A single gunshot can be heard fired._

_(Various action scenes: Ben dangling over a cliff with only a rope; Riley clutching a gun; Abby reaching down from grab someone's hand; a car chase; Riley and Abby struggling in water while Ben swims towards them; Riley, Ben and Abby running through the sidewalk followed by armed people shooting at them; a rope breaks and Riley, Ben, Abby reaching up to catch the rope and falling)_

**National Treasure: The Tiger's Gold**

_(credits and stuff)_

TRAILERTRAILERTRAILERTRAILERTRAILERTRAILER

I'll be posting chapters soon, hope you like it! :)

Review please, to people who are interested!

-Jaeh x)


	2. Calm Before the Storm

A/N: After a long wait, it's finally up! Sorry if it took so long! In between being real busy and writer's block, I was real busy :p so anyway, yeah. Here goes!

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben, Riley and all NT stuff. I don't own the line in the trailer "Be careful of the past (ben gates), it keeps no secrets"- or something to that effect – the line was actually said by a Philippine hero whose name escapes me right now… sorry… :D

R&R please!

LETITSNOWLETITSNOWLETITSNOWLETITSNOWLETITSNOW

"Ben, do we really have to do this?"

"Yes. Yes we do."

Ben flicked the yellow light on. Riley squinted, and looked into the dimly litattic packed with containers of all shapes and sizes. Full of dust and cobwebs, the place certainly didn't look friendly. "I think I'd rather go through the creepy tunnel again."

"Stop whining, Riley." Ben cautiously stepped in, testing the floorboards as he moved through the room.

"We're not under the Trinity anymore, Ben. Or in Mt. Rushmore, either."

Ben rolled his eyes. "It's been almost year since I've last been up here, Riley. Who knows if one of these is rotten or loose or something? Unless you want to go through my second floor ceiling…"

Riley shrugged, and headed straight for the box labeled "X-mas Decor." up on the rafters. He reached up, and inched the box towards him. When he noticed it was going to go down, he held out his arms as the box fell, dust raining with it. He quickly set the crate down, sneezing and coughing, and waved a hand to dissipate the cloud of particles.

"Wow, Ben," Riley coughed then swallowed, "when was the last time you people cleaned up here?"

"You don't want to know." Ben replied, carrying another box labeled "X-mas lights". "Let's get these down."

"Okay let me just-" Riley suddenly jumped back and brushed his arm, knocking over a pile of boxes in a corner. "Crap! What the heck was that!? Something crawled up my arm!"

"I don't know, you tell me." Ben said, looking on with amusement. He grabbed the nearest container and put scattered stuff from the boxes in. "Let's finish this so we could finish on putting the decorations up outside."

Riley mumbled something about apologies and spiders, and started to pick up some of the things too. He chose a small blond doll, and squeezed its head. He was about to throw it up and attempt to catch it again when Ben snatched the doll away from him. "This ain't yours Riley… Not mine either- its Abby's. And you know how Abigail is when someone touches her things…"

"We don't want that." Riley nodded, and finished packing up.

Ben picked up his box again. "Come on, Riley… we want to finish putting this all up before dark."

"Before dark? How long do you think this'll take, Ben? It's still morning! What kind of decorating are we going to do, anyway?!"

"Just come on!"

Riley shrugged, took his box and stepped forward. He tripped on his own shoelaces, and Riley groaned. So he put his box down and was about to tie his shoe when he noticed a small, leather notebook in a corner. He picked it up, and examined it under the feeble light for a moment. It was cracked from old age; its pages yellow and dry. Riley was about to put it in some random box, but instead he noticed a small sun-like symbol in the bottom corner of the first page. He searched his memory, trying to remember where he last saw the same symbol. When he couldn't produce an image from his head, he figured he'd just investigate later and dropped it into a pocket. Riley then turned his attention back to his shoes.

"Not good. The shoelace broke."

* * *

"Ben! Ben, wait a second." Riley ran, wanting to catch to Ben. He jumped three stairs at a time, and slid out of the house. He dropped the box he was carrying earlier to one side.

Ben looked down from the ladder he had just boarded, and raised his eyebrows. "What?"

"Can't we postpone this today?"

"What?! Why?"

"Because my shoelace broke! Remember the last time my shoelace broke, Ben?! We blew up!" Riley insisted, his face serious.

"The Charlotte blew up, not us, remember, Riley?" Ben corrected, and started to staple some of the lights on. "Look, Riley, nothing bad happened to us then, and nothing bad is going to happen to us now. So why don't you just grab some lights and start somewhere?"

Riley sighed, and peered in the box to look for a good set of lights to use. He rummaged in the box, and managed to get his hand through one loop, and another, and another. "Well alright. But I'm doing the roof."

Ben continued stapling the lights. He thought he heard a thud, but dismissed it from his thoughts. He waved a hand at Riley without looking. "Sure, go ahead. Just be careful."

"Uh… Ben? Help?"

Ben turned, and looked at Riley, who was now entangled in a web of Christmas lights. "Riley, I told you to be careful."

"Just get me out of here." Riley glared, struggling to get out of the trap.

"How'd you get into this position, anyway?" Ben asked, pulling the lights off Riley.

"Don't even ask. I'm going to put up stuff now." Riley walked into the house, and after a few minutes popped up on the roof, staple gun in his hand. He surveyed the area, and decided "Merry Christmas" would be great, if the whole word fit. He shrugged, and started to fasten the lights.

"How are you doing up there, Riley?"

"Pretty good, Ben! I haven't fallen off yet!"

"Great! Just be careful!"

"Yes dad, I'll be careful." Riley rolled his eyes, and pulled at his string of lights, and came up with the end. "Dad- I mean, Ben! I'm fresh out!"

"Plenty more here, Riley! Get down if you want more!"

"But Ben-"

"I am not going up there to hand them to you!" Ben said, still stapling the Christmas lights. It was going to be horizontal stripes this year; they had vertical ones last year. He moved around the house, and got to a point where when he looked up, he could see Riley attempting to get back down again. "Hey kid!"

Riley winced, and looked down. "Wha- whoa. That is far too hi-" He didn't even get to finish the word- he just went on to screaming as he fell from the ledge he was stepping on.

"Riley!" Ben shouted, his heart thudding with fear. His mind screamed that Riley was going to fall, and yet he couldn't do anything about it. He ran under him.

"I'm okay!" Riley screamed, two hands hanging on the ledge. He lowered himself down slowly on the balcony.

Ben exhaled, his worry that Riley would fall gone when he released the air. "I told you to be more careful!"

A muffled "I know" greeted him from inside the house. Ben smiled, and shook his head. He turned around to go back to his work and when he did, he spotted this old, brown notebook lying on the ground. He picked it up, and looked at it. It certainly didn't look like it was Riley's, and it certainly didn't belong to him. He turned it over, and spotted a sun-like symbol on a corner.

Sun… Sun… where'd he saw that picture again?

Ben searched his memory, concentrating on the journal in front of him. A red sun. Other than mental pictures of him and Abby's summer vacation by the beach coming to mind, he couldn't think of anything specific. A bunch of other clues and images cluttered in his head, and he tried to sort them out.

A sun with a lot of rays. Red sun.

That's it!

This is a Japanese artifact!

But what is a Japanese artifact doing here in his house?

"Riley?" Ben went around the corner, and spotted Riley choosing another set of Christmas lights.

"Yep?"

"Is this yours?" Ben raised the notebook up.

Riley reached out to grab it. "Where did you-"

"It fell from your pocket." Ben explained, pulling the journal away.

Riley shook his head, and shrugged. "Not mine. Saw it up on the attic, after we put up all those boxes. The red sun looked real familiar, so I thought I'd look it up somewhere…"

"This is a Japanese symbol Riley."

"Oh, yeah! Right!" Riley picked up one string and headed back to the roof. Ben followed him, and Riley turned his head to look at Ben. "A Japanese symbol…so it's a Japanese… thing, right?" He started up the stairs.

Ben nodded. "Yes. I wonder what it's doing here." They ended up talking on the balcony, Riley propping the ladder up again on the right position.

"Who knows." Riley said. "Just keep it or something, I guess." He proceeded up the ladder.

"Aren't you even curious Riley?" Ben insisted, curiosity becoming more and more apparent in his voice. He looked up, staring at Riley. Riley shuffled around, and sat down.

"Of course. But aren't we decorating the house?" Riley grinned at Ben. "Besides, Abby will be angry if we don't finish this. We don't want her to go all hulk and green on us."

"Hey! That's my wife you're talking about!"

Riley rolled his eyes. "So what?" He stapled the first bit of his lights after he got in a comfortable position. "So, aren't you gonna finish your job down there?"

Ben smiled. "Right." He left the balcony. He placed the notebook inside one of the kitchen drawers, and went back to work.

_That proved to be the calm before the storm._

DECKTHEHALLSDECKTHEHALLSDECKTHEHALLSDECKTHEHALLS

A/N: no real excitement in this part… more adventure to come soon... :D

The entangled web of lights was inspired by LoremIpsum's (my awesome beta who I thank a lot, btw) fic "The Last Full Measure of Devotion.

Review please!

-Jaeh :D


	3. A Few More Steps

Disclaimer: "I am glad to say that I own National Treasure." And that is something Jerry B. and Disney peeps would say. If I say that line, then I'd be lying…

A/N: There would be a bit of explanation in here about the treasure. More explanation to come out in other chappies, too, but I'll try not to make someone do a monologue without a good reason… :D oh, and trust me, every part of this has something to do with the whole story…

Tell me what you think. R&R please!

GUNSGUNSGUNSGUNSGUNSGUNSGUNSGUNSGUNSGUNS

"It's easy, Riley. Point, aim, and shoot."

"Isn't point and aim the same thing?"

"Ri-" Aly sighed. It was the fifth time she tried to teach Riley how to handle the gun. They had already switched from pistol to pistol, trying to find which Riley could hold on the best. Now they were "studying" a 9mm semi-automatic handgun, and Aly just finished demonstrating to him how to load in the magazine and what not. She handed him the gun, and Riley touched it tentatively. "Go on, take it."

Riley held out a hand, and he felt the butt of the gun hit his palm. He pulled away even before Aly could let go. "I don't think I can do this."

"Riley, I thought we talked about this-"

"Aly, remember those stories about I-Ian and Mitch…"

Aly smiled, and placed a hand on Riley's shoulder. "I know you've acquired some sort of fear of guns from those moments in your life, but this is a good time to face the fear. Don't worry, okay? Besides, after all those stories you and Ben kept telling me about all those… goons and all those dangerous things you do…" She held out the gun again. "I think you should at least try it. It could be a handy new self-defense for you."

Riley reached out again, and closing his eyes, curled fingers on the grip. Riley jerked his eyes open when he heard Aly scream his name.

"Riley! Don't close your eyes, this thing's loaded!"

"Sorry." Riley finally grabbed it all the way, hands shaking nervously as he pulled the gun up into the stance.

"Now hold it as tight as you can… pull the safety down… yeah, that's it… aim and fire!" Aly watched Riley pull the trigger, shutting his eyes at the most crucial minute. She resisted the urge to smack him, and run fingers through her hair instead.

Riley opened his eyes, and watched the target coming towards them. "I did that?"

Aly whistled. "Wow. Ri-ri, not bad for your first time. Second ring." Aly patted him on the shoulder. "Next time, try keeping your eyes open."

"Oh-ho no, there is not going to be a next time." Riley scoffed, and turned to see Aly talking with some person and taking a rifle off the guy's hands. "Um, Aly…"

"Look Riley! They're letting us use this big baby!"

Riley blinked at the huge gun. "Aly, don't you think that's a little-" ,he gulped, "-dangerous?"

"No." Aly raised the rifle and checked the sights. "Wow. This is perfect!" She grinned with glee, like a kid who just received a Christmas present.

"For a new doctor who just swore "first do no harm"…" Riley shook his head, watching Aly lower the gun and load it carefully. "I thought the main point of being a doctor is not trying to kill and injure anyone but instead to cure them?"

"You know first, we never really say that word for word." Aly said, still loading the gun. "And second, this is for fun and for self-defense, okay Riley? You never know what might happen these days."

Riley rolled his eyes, and picked the handgun up again, hands more steady this time. "I swore to myself earlier that I'm not gonna touch this again. But self-defense... now you've convinced me. After much thought, yeah, guns would've been handy back then." He gulped, and raised the handgun, aiming at the target in the next booth. "Okay, let's try this again." He pulled the trigger, eyes wide open this time, and the target came in**. **His aim was significantly closer to the bullseye.

Aly checked the target out. "Nice, Rilester. Keep it up!"

Riley let out the breathe he held. He looked at the gun, and smiled. "Where have you been all my life?"

* * *

"The 'Yamashita Gold', also known as the 'Yamashita Treasure', is a huge collection of looted gold bullion and treasures amassed by the Japanese when they attacked and emptied the treasuries, banks, private homes and other establishments of money, gold, and other resources. It is currently believed to be buried in the Philippines, somewhere in the part of Northern Luzon- maybe even in other parts of the country."

Ben watched every move, listened to every word the speaker made. She gestured to her slides, spewing out facts like she was telling a story to children. Her chosen words _sounded_ like a lecture, but the way she taught it was different.

"Some say it's merely a legend, for many have sought and found nothing. But I have reason to believe otherwise. It has been believed that President Ferdinand Marcos, a former President of the Philippines, acquired a part of the huge treasury, but we have reason to believe that he didn't grab more than one-eighth of the gold. It has also been believed that the rest of the treasure has been taken and kept by the United States when they found it during World War II. Our research concludes otherwise. And according to the proof I have shown you earlier, it's still there, untouched, waiting to be found."

The woman finished. She smiled, and was met with thunderous applause. Ben applauded along, and stood up to leave the stadium after the closing remarks had been made. It had been a long time since he had enjoyed a lecture this good. Over the years, it was always him who gave the lectures and the proposals. And each one of them got turned down – until he found the Templar Treasure. He knew this one would probably be no different, but it was a good lecture nonetheless – exactly why the woman received thunderous applause. She stepped off the stage, and disappeared in the back.

Ben was chatting with some colleagues when someone tapped him. "Mr. Ben Gates?"

Ben turned around. He was just getting ready to leave. "Yes, can I help you?"

"I'm Ms. Dianne Castillo, the lecturer earlier. Can we talk for a moment?" Ms. Castillo held out her hand, and they shook. "I've heard so many things about you and the Templar treasure, and the Cibola. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions…"

"Right here, right now, Ms. Castillo?" Ben raised an eyebrow. Not a lot of people could walk up to him and straightforwardly tell him that they want to ask him questions.

"I was thinking more like, over coffee. Is that okay? And you could call me Dianne." Dianne flashed a dazzling smile.

Ben nodded. "Sure." And over coffee, too? Ben was impressed. Not a lot of people had the nerve to do this for some reason. Besides, they had just met, and curiously enough, she was asking if they could grab a friendly cup of coffee to talk.

"Let me just grab my stuff in the back…" Dianne smiled wider, and she ran backstage. She then emerged with her coat and bag in hand. "My treat!" She walked outside, and Ben followed.

Ben listened to Dianne as she told stories about her country animatedly. She said she was a professor from University of the Philippines, and that this was her first time in Washington D.C. She was here to give a lecture on the Yamashita Treasure, and she also had a proposal about it, too. Dianne entered a coffee shop, and offered Ben a seat. She went to the counter to get them both some coffee, and returned to where Ben was.

"Wow, I sure like this place. It's cozy in here." Dianne flashed another toothy smile. "Washington D.C. is so cold. It's even _snowing_. Philippines is so warm, so tropical… I'm still getting used to this place."

Ben smiled back. He sipped from his coffee. "Now, Dianne, what were you going to ask me?" Ben couldn't contain his curiosity any longer. Something told him that this would not be the ordinary tell-me-what-happened kind of meeting. Anything Dianne needed to know about Ben and his excursions can be found online, anyway.

Dianne drank from her cup. "I see you're all business, Mr. Gates. I wanted to talk for a moment about other things before I ask my questions."

"I didn't mean it that way, Dianne. I'm just curious." Ben said, taking another sip.He swirled the coffee in his cup, hopingthat the cold voice Dianne reverted to for a moment there wasn't because she was offended.

Dianne smiled. "Of course. But I guess I should get straight to the point." She looked straight in Ben's eyes, and her face turned serious. "Mr. Gates, we have reasons to believe that there might be clues hidden in the United States. We have learned you have many contacts in the Historical Society, and we believe that you could help us acquire the proper help from professionals in the line of World War II, Philippine-American and Japanese-American relations. We may also need help in technological aspects, and we just happen to know that you know someone who could help. Also, we need someone trained to handle important artifacts, and we understand that you're close to one. And we may need someone who just knows a lot about the U.S who would be willing to help. And we believe that-" She cleared her throat. "-you might be interested to fund our little project."

Ben blinked at the sudden turn of events. A proposal was laid out in front of him, straightforward, all business by a woman he just met. It took him a few minutes to get it all together. "I assume you didn't say all of the information in the lecture."

Dianne scoffed, a very different expression from the toothy smile she had on earlier. "Of course I didn't." Her face reverted back to her grin, which left Ben wondering if Dianne was aware that she was doing that or not. "Mr. Gates, please. I know how important the Templar Treasure and the Cibola was to you. And this one is _that _important to me too."

"I'm not an expert in World War II, Ms. Castillo. I don't see how I could help you." Ben answered. He gestured at Dianne, and frowned. "This concerns Philippine and Japanese relations; I don't know how you need to involve me, or the United States of America."

"I just told you- we have reasons to believe there are clues here in the U.S." Dianne leaned closer. "Please, Mr. Gates, we need your help," she pleaded.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "I still don't see why you need my help Ms. Castillo." Ben said, more serious now. He tapped a finger nervously. He didn't like how this was turning out. Dianne sounded like she was going to do anything for this treasure. And that wasn't always good. "First, you could get other people to fund your project, second, you could file your own appointments at various institutions, and third, you could look for the clues yourself."

Dianne sighed, and stood up. "I don't want to bring this up the first time we meet, Ben, but you're giving me no choice." She smiled sweetly, and yet her eyes were colder than winter. "We know that one of your ancestors, a person named Paul Gates, was also involved in the cover-up and the hiding of the Yamashita. He was your grandfather's cousin. He might have collaborated with the Japanese then, _Ben_. Just think, wouldn't that be treason, betrayal of his own nation?" She took out her card, and handed it to Ben. "Here. If you don't believe me, you could ask your father. Or, if you see that cute little journal with a red sun on it, it's his. A vital clue's in there, Ben. Don't lose it." She looked at her watch, and curtsied mockingly to Ben. "I have to go, my time's run out. RSVP, call if you want to join the party." She placed the card on the table, and left.

Ben stared after her, eyes wide, coffee completely forgotten. "I don't believe it…" It took an enormous amount of energy and self-control to keep himself from cursing out loud. "No." He said, trying to convince himself that it just was not possible. He had never heard of Paul Gates from his dad or grandfather. She didn't show any proof. It could not be possible. "I don't believe it."

CLIFFIECLIFFIECLIFFIECLIFFIECLIFFIECLIFFIECLIFFIE

Evil cliffie? xD no, seriously, I'm asking. is it evil?

Review please!

-Jaeh xD


	4. Deal With the Devil

A/N: Okay, first…. I want you all to know that professors in University of the Philippines are not like Dianne, okay? I should know, I study there!

Although, I'm just a freshman… I know nothing just… yet… bwahahaha.

Anyway!

Disclaimer: And so, I declare none of this to be mine. ;)

BENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBEN

"To what do we owe this very interesting family meeting?"

Riley was the first to break the ice. He leaned on his knees and stared at everyone else, who at turn was staring at Ben.

"What's wrong, dear?" Emily asked. She wrung her hands together.

"Ben?" Patrick added.

"Ben, what is it?" Abby followed with a question of her own.

Ben turned to Patrick, his mouth opening for the first time. "Dad, do we know anyone named Paul Gates?"

Patrick leaned forward a bit. "Who?"

"Paul Gates."

"Where did you hear that name?" Patrick asked, surprise – or shock – evident in his voice.

Ben told them _almost_ the whole thing – about Dianne and her curious little statement about Paul Gates and his betrayal. He managed to leave out every bit of detail about the treasure, though.

Patrick's eyes darted from person to person. Everyone looked both eager and apprehensive to know what he was going to answer. "Paul Gates was…" Patrick paused, and sighed. "I better just come out and say it. The reason you didn't hear anything about him, Ben, is because whatever that woman told you, is true. He did collaborate with the Japanese. He did a lot of things the Gates family is not proud of. So everyone was determined to erase his name from our memories, and from the memories of others."

"So it's true." A crestfallen look suddenly appeared on Ben's face. "I don't believe it."

"Accept it son, our family is not perfect." There was a moment of silence.

Abby placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Ben." She knew how important Ben's family name was to him, and the honor that came with it. And this revelation, just after he cleared Thomas' Gates name…

"Wait a second Ben." Emily started again. Everyone's heads snapped towards her.

Ben looked at Emily with a questioning look. Emily continued. "There is something else. I know there is something you're not telling us."

Riley nodded, his face looking relieved that someone changed the subject. "Yes! According to my experience, no one drops a huge revelation like this on you Ben, unless they need something from you."

"Ben, what are you doing with a woman named Dianne in a coffee shop?" Abby asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Look, I went to this conference, okay? I had enough time on my hands. And the speaker was Ms. Dianne Castillo, a professor in University of The Philippines, talking about the Yamashita Treasure…" Ben continued the rest of his story, filling in every detail that he left out.

Emily groaned. "Not another treasure hunt."

"Admit it Emily. You like treasure hunts. You were talking about the last one in your sleep!" Patrick said, smirking.

Emily threw a cushion at him. "I was having a nightmare!"

"No you weren't – I heard your every word!" Emily and Patrick continued their spat, their talk elevating to some trip to South America and their guide who got them lost.

"Emily! Patrick! Enough!" Abby said, sighing. "You're not helping!"

"Wait a second, back-up. You're saying that this woman was a speaker at this lecture you went to, asked you out for coffee, and offered all this up?" Riley said in disbelief. He blinked at Ben. "And she came from the Philippines? Wow, Ben. International."

Abby turned to Ben. "What's the next step now, Ben?"

"So they're looking for the Yamashita treasure, and like the rest of the stuff we looked for, of course, is missing. Great." Riley continued to rant. "Why couldn't they provide a cereal box treasure map, x marks the spot?" He scoffed. "All we're missing now are our favorite villains. Who are we getting this time? Some psycho?"

Ben looked up from his silent thinking, and said the two words everyone wasn't sure they wanted to hear. "I'm in."

"What?" The group looked at Ben, their eyes wide, faces in shock.

"I'm going to call Ms. Castillo and tell her I'm in." Ben announced. "This is the least I could do to make up for what Paul Gates did. I need to find that treasure, and bring it back."

"Ben, do you know what you're saying?"

"Ben! Not another treasure hunt!"

"Ben, I know this is to redeem the family's name…"

"Stop!" screamed Riley. That made everyone shut up. "Ben, not that I'm discouraging you, but we already won the war. That single betrayal didn't make any significant difference." Riley said.

"Finally, a voice of reason. Listen to your friend Ben, he's making sense for once." Emily said, releasing another sigh. "Look, Ben. I love you dear, but this is dangerous. I know the last one worked, but Ben! You almost got killed! We all almost got killed!"

"Ben, listen to your mother." Patrick placed a hand on Ben's shoulder. "She's right."

Emily looked at Patrick in astonishment. "Did you really say that?"

"Yes, I said it." Patrick looked back at Ben. "Look, Ben, I don't know if this would be a real find or a wild-goose chase, but no matter what it is, this job is getting more and more dangerous. And from what you said, I think she's only looking for someone to fund their expedition…"

"Ben, I don't want to come close to losing you again." Abby said, voicing everyone's obvious concerns. Everyone looked at Ben.

Ben bit his lip. "That doesn't change the fact that someone did something wrong. That Paul Gates, did something wrong. And I have to do something to make it up for my country." He tapped the armrest.

"Ben, don't you think the Cibola and the Templar Treasure are already enough?" Riley sighed.

"This one is for a different reason, Riley." Ben said.

Riley ran a hand through his hair. "It's in the past, Ben. No one else knows. Let it go."

"The past haunts the present. Always beware of the past, for you never know what it might reveal." Ben said, causing everyone to be silent.

Riley was the first one to say something. "Here we go again." He muttered, and smiled. "Whatever, Ben. But I'm in."

Abby pouted. "I was just getting used to normalcy again, Ben. But I'll help."

"I'll do what I can, son." Patrick called. "I- I understand what you're trying to do. I'll help in any way I can."

Emily sighed. "It would seem that I have no choice in the matter. I'll help too, of course."

"Thank you." Ben said, smiling for the first time the whole day. "Now if you excuse me, I think I have an important call to place."

* * *

Room 2065. Ben knocked at Dianne's door, and waited for her answer. His face was blank, effectively hiding the mixed emotions he was feeling. He was doing a pretty good job for a man who can't bluff. Riley was with him, as was Abigail.

Dianne opened the door, and immediately launched into her greeting. "Hi Ben. Glad you could make it. Glad you could _all_ make it." Dianne smiled at them. She offered the trio a seat on a couch. Dianne turned to Ben. "So, how was the day after we last talked? Decisions have been made, I take it?"

Ben looked at her. "I'm in. We're all in."

"Why so serious, guys?"Dianne laughed, her laughter sounding really _evil_ in Ben's ears, even if it sounded light-hearted and happy. Her eyes sparkled – or glinted, Ben thought – as she said the quote. "Lighten up! You're going on another one of your adventures!"

"A real live Harley Quinn in action. Do you have your own joker, or do you operate as him as well?" Riley mumbled.

Dianne looked at him, and pouted. "Oh come on Riley – it is Riley, right? Your little quips are so cute. As long as you don't piss me off, you should be safe."

"And what are you going to do? Last time I checked, cuteness and charm don't kill anyone."

Dianne smiled, and shrugged. "The last time I checked, guns can kill anything. And oh, my friends think that too." About four men stepped out from a room. None looked really muscular and thug-material, but the guns they were holding would scare the crap out of anyone. That quieted Riley down. The four men sat beside each person in the room – one beside Ben, beside Riley, beside Abby and beside their boss.

"Hi Abigail." Dianne smiled, her eyes on Abby now. Abby glared at her. Dianne shrugged. "Oh come on, Abby- may I call you Abby? Yeah. I was thinking that we could actually be friends. Loving history and all. Unless you go all cold – like you're doing now." Dianne looked around, and her eyes settled on Ben's face.

"You blackmailed me." Ben said once he made eye contact with her. A henchman shifted beside Ben, the gun's nozzle hitting Ben's side. The man grinned absently, and stroked the barrel of his gun.

"I did nothing of the sort, Ben…" Dianne stood up, and leaned closer to Ben, her lips touching his ear. Abby scowled, glaring at the woman who looked like she was making a move on _her_ Ben. The man beside her nudged her with the butt of his gun, like he sensed the anger radiating from Abby.

"You decided to take a move on your own." Ben snapped his head away. Dianne scoffed, and straightened herself out. "I didn't tell you that I was going to release it to the press. I didn't say anything that would say I'd make it public. I wasn't planning to." She walked away, and plopped down back on her chair.

"I knew you are going to do something about that… _betrayal_," Dianne elaborated each syllable, "your grandfather did. I knew you are going take action, even if it was already in the past." She smiled and shook her head. "Because that's who Ben Gates is. A man of action."

Dianne smiled, and held out her hand. "So… partners?"

For a moment Ben thought he saw a glimpse of the Dianne he first met. He hesitated, and took the hand and shook it. "Temporarily."

"That's the best deal I could get, I suppose." Dianne flashed another dazzling smile. "So, what else do you want to know, guys?"

"Origins, names, clues." Riley leaned back in his chair. "Reason why you want this treasure so much is helpful too." The man beside Riley made the shape of a gun with his fingers, and shot invisible targets. Riley shifted uneasily.

"Let's start with this. The Yamashita treasure is a chunk of the wealth the Japanese grabbed off the lands they conquered back around WWII. The name is taken from General Tomoyuki Yamashita, the general who assumed command of Japanese forces in the Philippines in 1944. It is allegedly hidden in caves, tunnels and underground complexes in the Philippines. The gold and other valuables were stolen from East and Southeast Asia by Japanese forces during World War II and supposedly hidden in the Philippines. They were supposed to ship the stuff from my country back to Japan, but because they have suffered huge losses, they could not do it."

Dianne turned back to Ben, smirking. "That's where Paul Gates came in."

BENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBENBEN

So... what do you think?? That Dianne is an evil, evil woman.

Review and Reply, please! xD

-Jaeh x)


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